Illustrated herein are embodiments relating to a method and apparatus for maintaining printer/copier printheads. It finds particular application in conjunction with an imaging apparatus having solid ink printheads, and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, it is to be appreciated that the present exemplary embodiment is also amenable to other like applications.
Image producing machines, such as printers and/or copiers and the like, often use printheads for ejecting ink onto an ink receiving surface, such as print media also referred to as the substrate, or an image drum which is then transferred to the print media, to form an image thereon. Solid ink image producing machines use solid ink, also referred to as phase change ink. The solid ink is in the solid phase at ambient temperature and is melted to a molten, liquid phase at an elevated, operating temperature. At the operating temperature, droplets or jets of the molten liquid ink are ejected from one or more printhead front faces to form the image. When the ink droplets contact the surface of the substrate, they quickly solidify to create an image in the form of a predetermined pattern of solidified ink drops.
An example of such a solid ink image producing machine or printer, and the process for producing images therewith onto image receiving sheets is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,852 issued Dec. 13, 1994 to Titterington et al. As disclosed therein, the solid ink printing process includes raising the temperature of a solid form of the solid ink so as to melt it and form a molten liquid ink. It also includes applying droplets of the solid ink in a liquid form onto an imaging surface in a pattern using a device such as an ink jet printhead. The process then includes solidifying the solid ink droplets on the imaging surface, transferring them the image receiving substrate, and fixing the solid ink to the substrate.
The ink droplets are ejected from orifices in the printhead front faces. During printing and after printing is completed ink can build up on the printhead front faces. The buildup of this waste ink can interfere with the proper ejection of ink droplets and degrade quality of the image formed. It is therefore desirable to remove waste ink on occasion.